Evaporator.



W. H. C. SMITH."

EVAPORATOR.

APPLICATION mm. APR. 23. m1.

Patented Nov, 13, 1917.

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Specification of LettersPatent.

Patented. Nov. 13, 1917.

Application filed April 23, 1917. Serial No. 163,903.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. C. SMITH, a citizen of the United States, residing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented an Evaporator, of which the following is a specification.

One object of this invention is to provide such an arrangement and construction of parts in an evaporator of the vertical type used as single or multiple effect as will materially facilitate the circulation of the liquid under treatment and at the same time insure a minimum of liquor space below the heating surface.

I further desire to provide a novel form of connection between the vapor supply pipe of an evaporator and the drum structure which shall permit of'limited relative movement of these parts, the construction of said pipe being such as to reduce loss of heat by radiation and serve to increase the velocity of the steam at its point of delivery into the drum.

Another object of the invention is to pro vide a novel form of steam drum particularly designed with a view to causing an efiicient circulation of liquid through the evaporator, the invention also contemplating novel means for insuring maximum efficient circulation of liquid in the lower or bottom portion of the evaporator.

These objects and other advantageous ends I secure as hereinafter set forth, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, in which,

The figure is a vertical section of an evaporator constructed in accordance with my invention.

In the above drawing, 1 represents the shell orcasing ofthe evaporator which has a head '3 and an inwardly dished bottom 2 sloping upwardly toward its central portion as well as having its outer edge turned up in a gentle curve to form a continuation of the vertical wall of the casing 1. The head is shown as consisting of a casting having vapor inlet and outlet openings 4 and 5, of which the first leads to a central downwardly extending conduit 6. Concentric with this conduit portion and with the outer wall of the head is a cylindrical baffle struc ture 7 having an annular opening through its lower end into the upper part of the shell 1 and having a side opening 8 into the annular space by its outside urf e and the outer wallof. the head 3;this space leading to the outlet 5.

The lower end of the conduit section 6 of the head has connected to it a second conduit section 9 extending centrally downward within the shell 1 and terminating in a sheet metal nozzle structure 10 of decreased diameter which extends into a tubular heating drum mounted at the bottom of the casing or shell.

Between the sections 6 and 9, which are usually of cast metal, I clamp an annular upwardly projecting structure 12 preferably though not necessarily of sheet metal and constituting a drip pan for collecting any moisture falling from the serrated downwardly extending edge 13 at the upper end of the shellsection 1, which serves as a bottom extension for the annular structure 7 of the head.

lNithin the lower part of the shell 1 is The top tube sheet 18 has a central opening through which loosely passes the nozzle section 10 of the internal vapor pipe. Upon the sheet 18 and concentric with the pipe 10 is secured a ring or flange 21 serving to clamp in place the lower end of a flexible corrugated section 22 whose upper end is clamped between or secured to the connected flanges of the sections 9 and 10 of said vapor pipe. From the highest point of the space between this expansion section 22 and the top of the nozzle 10, an air or gas vent pipe 23 leads to the outside of the evaporator casing ;there being also connected to this pipe a branch 2e leading from the upper part of the steam space of the drum 14.

The conduit sections 6, 9 and 10 with the inlet chamber 48 of the head 3, constitute the vapor inlet passage or conduit, and in order to deflect the vapor delivered through the nozzle so that this will. be uniformly distributed over the downwardly sloping inside surface of the bottom of the drum, I provide a conical deflector 11 at the center of the bottom in line with said conduit.

Liquid formed by condensation within the drum 1 is drawn off through a pipe 25 connected to the lowest part of said drum. The liquor to be evaporated is admitted to the casing through an inlet pipe 26 which opens into a distributing chamber 27 formed in or defined by the central part of the dished bottom 2 of the evaporator and a cover plate 28. A series of holes 29 open from this chamber through the bottom 2 into the interior of the evaporator and as said holes are placed at substantially equal distances apart around the chamber liquid is delivered in equal quantities outwardly from the center of the bottom into the space below the drum 14. In the lowest part of the bottom 2 is placed the outlet 30 for the concentrated liquid.

Under conditions of operation the liquor to be evaporated is delivered through the pipe 26 into the chamber 27 from which it is distributed through the holes in radial streams or currents over or slightly above the bottom 2 of the casing, the supply of liquid being continued until it reaches a. predetermined depth above or below the upper end of the lowest of the tubes 19. Steam or vapor is delivered to the evaporater through the inlet 4, from whence it passes down through the conduit section 6-9 into the nozzle 10, which being of diminished cross section, causes it to flow onto the deflector 11 and into the bottom of the steam drum at an increased velocity.

By reason of the presence of the deflector, the steam or vapor current is caused to be separated or distributed uniformly over the bottom of the drum and to circulate around .the tubes 19 and 20 in a most efficient manner, it being noted that the top and bottom tube sheets are formed as parts of substantial parallel single curved surfaces and that the tubes 19 are inclined at right angles to said tube sheets. The vapor arising from or given ofl by the boiling liquid passes between the upper edge of the pan 12 and the serrated edge 13, into the space between the parts 6 and 7 ing 8 into the space between the outside wall of the head 3 and baflie structure 7 and through the outlet 5 to another evaporator or to a condenser.

As a result of the construction shown, the liquid in the lower part of the casing m )ves upwardly through the tubes 19 and while some portions of it pass downwardly through the larger downtake pipes 20, the majority of it flows down, as indicated by the arrows, around the outside of the drum, it being particularly noted that such flow is aided and the formation of objectionable thence through the open naaaeaa eddies or dead bodies of liquid is prevented by reason of the peculiar shape of the bottom 2 and more particularly by its outer portions which are curved upwardly to form a continuation of the vertical cylindrical 1 surface of the casing while at their center portions directing upwardly the moving bodies of fluid.

Any entrained particles of liquid carried by the vapor rising in the casing are caught by and collected upon the various baffle surfaces around or over which they are compelled to pass in flowing through the head or catch-all 3, and said liquid is returned to the lower part of an opening or small pipe 31 leading from the lower part of the drip pan 12. It may also flow from the space surrounding the baffle structure 7 through a pipe or pening 32.

I claim 1. The combination in an evaporator of a casing having an inwardly dished bottom; a tubular heating drum in said casing havand mounted in the lower part of said casmg; with a vapor supply pipe mounted to discharge steam downwardly toward the center of the lower tube sheet.

2. The combination in an evaporator of a casing; a heating drum therein having an upwardly dished bottom; a downwardly spreading deflector mounted substantially at the center of said bottom; and a vapor pipe extending into the heating drum in position to deliver vapor toward said deflector.

3. The combination in an evaporator of a casing; a heating drum therein having upwardly convex top and bottom tube sheets and tubes mounted at right angles to the same; and a vapor supply tube entering the drum in position to discharge downwardly immediately above the upwardly dished bottom thereof.

4. The combination in an evaporator of a casing having an upwardly dished bottom formed with a liquid-receiving chamber within its upper central portion and having delivery passages leading from said chamber into the interior of the casing; with a gquid supply pipe connected to said cham- 5. The combination in an evaporator of a casing having an upwardly dished bottom; a plate cooperating with the dished portion of said bottom to form a chamber having openings into the casing placed with substantial uniformity around its wall; and a liquid supply pipe opening into said cham- 6. The combination in an evaporator of a casing; a heating drum mounted in the lower part thereof; a vapor inlet pipe entering the casing and extending downwardly into said drum; with a flexible conthe evaporator through ing an upwardly dished lower tube sheet i nection between the drum and said pipe to permit relative movement of said parts.

7. The combination in an evaporator of a casing; a heating drum mounted in the lower part thereof; a vapor inlet pipe entering the casing and extending downwardly into said drum; with a flexible corrugated structure surrounding said vapor pipe and connected to it and to said drum.

8. The combination in an evaporator of a casing; a heating drum mounted in the lower part thereof; a vapor inlet pipe entering the casing and extending downwardly into said drum; a corrugated flexible structure surrounding said vapor pipe and connected to it and to said drum; with a vent pipe connected to conduct gas from the upper part of the space between the vapor pipe and said flexible structure.

9. The combination in an evaporator of a casing; a heating drum in said casing; a vapor pipe entering the casing and extending downwardly into the drum; with a de- Hector adjacent the bottom of the drum placed to uniformly distribute over the bottom thereof the vapor from said pipe.

10. The combination in an evaporator of a casing; a heating drum therein; with a Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the vapor supply pipe extending through the easing into said drum and including a nozzle section of less diameter than the remainder.

11. The combination in an evaporator of a casing; a heating drum in the lower portion thereof; a vapor supply pipe entering the casing and extending centrally downward therein; with a nozzle section for said pipe extending into the drum and having a cross section less than that of the remainder of the pipe.

12. The combination in an evaporator of a casing; a heating drum in the lower portion there-of; a vapor supply pipe entering the casing and extending downward therein; a nOzZle section for said pipe extending into the drum; with a vertically flexible connection between the top tube sheet of the drum and said vapor pipe.

18. The combination in an evaporator of a casing; a heating drum in the lower portion thereof; with a vapor supply pipe extending down within the casing into the drum, and including a nozzle of diminished area at its lower extremity.

In witness whereof I aflix my signature.

WILLIAM H. C. SMITH.

Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. 

